The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, on Tuesday, exercised his right not to testify against his wife Begoña Gómez before the judge investigating her for alleged influence peddling, in a case that politically undermines the socialist leader.
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Sánchez remained silent before Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, a 69-year-old magistrate in charge of the case, who traveled to the Moncloa palace, the presidential residence, to question the head of the Executive as a witness, according to several lawyers for the popular accusations, a figure provided for in Spanish law.
Peinado is investigating Gómez for alleged crimes of influence peddling and business corruption in a case opened by a complaint from the self-proclaimed Manos Limpias union and which includes other accusations such as Vox or the ultra-Catholic organization Hazteoír.
A graduate in marketing and with a master’s degree in management, Gómez is suspected of having taken advantage of her husband’s position in her professional relationships, in particular with Juan Carlos Barrabés, a Spanish businessman who received public aid and who is also under investigation.
Barrabés – who teaches a master’s degree at the Complutense University of Madrid directed by Gómez – admitted before the judge having met with the wife of the President of the Government five or six times in Moncloa, two of them in the presence of Sánchez.
But he said those meetings were limited to discussing innovation issues, according to sources close to the case.
The hearing lasted approximately 20 minutes.
The head of the Executive informed the judge during his appearance that he is invoking the law that exempts any person summoned as a witness in a judicial proceeding from testifying against his or her spouse, according to sources.
The hearing, which took place in an office in the Moncloa palace, lasted “approximately 20 minutes,” Marta Castro, a lawyer for the Vox party, told reporters, although Begoña Gómez’s lawyer, Antonio Camacho, said it was “two minutes.”
In addition to the judge, the prosecutor, the defense attorneys and Vox, representing the five popular accusations, attended the hearing.
The court rejected Sánchez’s request to testify in writing and the appeals filed by the Prosecutor’s Office and Begoña Gómez’s defensewho see no use or justification in summoning the head of the Executive.
Judge Peinado agreed to summon Sánchez as “husband of the person under investigation” on the same day that his wife invoked her right not to testify as an accused, and did so at the request of the popular accusations coordinated by Vox, who wanted to know the president’s version of the meetings that Begoña Gómez held with businessmen in Moncloa.
A case that politically wears down Pedro Sánchez
Sánchez has maintained his wife’s innocence and frames the matter within a right-wing campaign to undermine his government.
But the case has poisoned Spanish politics in recent weeks, with the PP, the main opposition party, insistently calling for his resignation. of the socialist leader and the calling of elections.
Sanchez has not wanted to testify before the courts, but he will answer to the Spanish people for so many injustices
“Sanchez has not wanted to testify before the courts, but he will answer to the Spanish people for so many injustices,” Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the PP, said on the social network X.
To show normality, Sánchez maintained his schedule on Tuesday: he led a Council of Ministers meeting in the morning and in the afternoon he is scheduled to meet with King Felipe VI on the Balearic island of Mallorca.
During the hearing, Sánchez was “absolutely calm,” said Begoña Gómez’s lawyer.
Bernardo del Rosal, professor of Criminal Law at the University of Alicante, had warned that if Sánchez mmaintaining silence could “look bad (…) politically.”
But even if the dossier ends up being archived, “all this noise ends up damaging the image” of Sánchez, said Del Rosal.
When the case became known at the end of April, Sánchez surprisingly announced that he was considering resigning. After five days of reflection, he decided to stay in Moncloa.
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